The Flying Circus
Made up of 5 squadrons of between 12 and 16 planes each. The Flying Circus gained its name from its pilots adopting their Commanders decision to paint his aircraft bright colors. The Pilots were permitted to paint their fighters with bright color leading to a patchwork look that was both an intimidation and a calling call that the best of the best had arrived. The Flying Circus really gained its name due to the mobility of the Wing as it travelled from airfield to airfield setting up tents like a modern circus.
With the German advantage in aircraft and numbers the Fighter Wing was designed to overwhelm the British and French fighter formations. While a Squadron could realistically only put 6 to 8 aircraft up at a time, a Fighter Wing would put up 4x as many. Tactically, it was a brute force solution to the age-old question of what you do when you outnumber your enemy.
The Flying Circus was home to some of the greatest pilots in air war history, from its formation through to November 1918 it claimed 644 kills while losing 52 pilots. Its last commander was Herman Goring who himself had 22 victories but was extremely unpopular with his men after replacing pilots such as the Richthofen brothers and Wilhelm Reinhard.
The Planes of the Red Baron
While most stories about Manfred von Richthofen show him fighting the tri-winged bright red Fokker DR1. He flew several aircraft.
Halberstadt CL II 14207
This was a German 2-seater observation aircraft, and the plane that Richthofen first took to the air with as an observer. It was also the preferred plane of one of Germany’s greatest aces in Oswald Bolcke. It was a solid performer with a top speed of 103 mph and a maximum ceiling of 16,000 ft. It was armed with 1 7.92 machine gun on the font and a 7.92 m014 ring mounted machine gun for the observer.
Albatross D.II
A solid performer, it had a maximum speed of 103 mph and had a fast climb and dive rate. It’s per wing was moved forward giving the pilot greater visibility, its major flaw was a bottom mounted radiator which leaked heavily due to gravity. It was armed with 2 8 mm Schwarzlose machine guns.
Albatross D.III
This was an improved D.II, it was structurally stronger due to V shaped Wing Spars which made it a better turner. Its radiator was moved to the top of the plane. It also had an extended upper wing to give it greater flight stability. It was a faster climber then the DII, the DIII could reach 9800 feet a minute faster then the DII. It had a maximum speed of 117 mph and carried the same armament as the DII.
Fokker F1/DR1
A direct answer to the British Sopwith Camel which outclassed the German Albatross line of fighters. The Triplane was the answer in terms of maneuverability and speed, and it features a nailed-on canvas surface instead of stitched on. It featured a maximum speed of 110 mph, a service ceiling of 20,000 feet and a rate of climb of 1,120 ft per minute. It wasn’t ordered in great quantities due to workman ship issues and the fact that the wings tended to snap off. It was armed with 2 7.92 Spandau machine guns.